My Asylum In A Wintery Storm
by Lieutenant Tazer
Summary: They sat underneath a tree, eyes adverted upwards towards the sky just watching the snowflakes softly falling to the ground like frozen tears. Pallet town was recovering, and so were they; the two were more than the best of friends once again. GaryxAsh
1. Chapter 1

**My Asylum In A Wintery Storm**

To say he was exhausted was an understatement. His muscles ached all over, and he smelled of sweat and an outside musk; disgusting in his opinion. Gary Oak couldn't wait to get to his grandfather's house, just over the hill, for a well deserved vacation. Breeching the top of the hill, he heard Umbreon bark happily before racing fourth to playfully swipe at an on passing Butterfree. Watching it flap away in the breeze, Gary called Umbreon back to him before heading towards the front door. "You're silly, Umbreon, did you know that?"

Opening the front door, Gary instantly noticed how quite his childhood home was. "Hey, Gramps, I'm home!" He called out as he knelt down to remove his shoes.

"Upstairs, Gary!" He heard his grandfather call back.

Tucking them away, against the wall, Gary moved up the stairs on his left, Umbreon in toe. "Grandpa?" Realizing that the elder man wasn't in his bedroom, Gary moved back out into the hall wondering which room he could be in.

"In here, Gary." Walking into one of the guest rooms, wondering exactly what his grandfather was up to, the brunette instantly froze in the doorway. "You just need to take it easy now, Ash." Watching his grandfather pull a white t-shirt over the other teens head, Gary's eyes were instantly trained on the large bruises around the other boy.

"But, Professor…" Ash attempted to get up.

"Pika-pi!" A Pikachu barked loudly, aiding the professor in getting the trainer to lay down. Even from the doorway, Gary could see that the Pikachu sitting on the bed with Ash was not the teen's partner. This one was a lot smaller, and had a small spike of fur on the top of its head. _Probably a lot younger too,_ Gary thought.

"You're done for today, Ash. Just rest up a bit before you head home; you're welcome to stay the night if you don't feel well enough to get home." Tucking the blankets securely around the smaller teen's lithe body, Professor Oak smiled to himself when the trainers' heavy eye lids closed. "Keep an eye on him, Pikachu." Turning towards his grandson and Umbreon, Oak smiled and headed out with them, shutting the door behind him.

"What happened to him?" Gary inquired, wanting to know exactly happened to cause bruises like that.

"Ash has started helping me around here; I'm just getting too old to take care of this huge place on my own anymore, Gary." The brunette couldn't help but cringe at that answer, knowing he should be home to help his grandpa out more than he does. Just over a year ago, Oak had fallen for no apparent reason. "Well, we were working and all of a sudden he just collapsed. Poor boy, he needs to rest more, just like you." Professor Oak gave his grandson a pointed look.

"Hey Gramps, don't worry about me."

"How can I not? It's been two years since you've been home, Gary."

Biting his lower lip, the young researcher glanced down at Umbreon who only looked to agree with the Professor. "Well, I'm home now."

"That you are," the elder man agreed. "Let's get you something to eat, you look so skinny."

Watching his grandpa push past him, heading down the large stair case, Gary couldn't hold back the sigh any longer. Looking to Umbreon, he reached out to scratch the top of its black head. Feeling his Pokemon snuggle into the touch, Gary couldn't help but smile. It felt great to be home. Taking a quick glance towards the guest room door, Gary's thoughts instantly flashed back to the horrendous blackened marks that marred Ash's body. Something was going on, and Gary was determined to figure it out.

POKEMON: Gotta Catch Em All

"Oh man, Gramps!" Leaning back heartedly in his chair, the teen placed his hand over his food-expanded stomach. "I sure did miss your cooking."

Chuckling at his grandson's antics, Professor Oak cleared away their plates, taking them over to the dishwasher. "Glad you enjoyed," he spoke through a yawn. "Go relax and get ready for bed, you look tired."

Taking in his grandpa's haggard appearance, Gary frowned. "How about you go relax and I'll feed the Pokemon at the lab tonight."

"But—"

"It's no big deal." Waving his hand in the air, like this task was no big deal Gary looked towards his partner. "Umbreon and I can take care of things, Gramps."

"Thank you, Gary, goodnight." Pressing a kiss to the young researcher's forehead, Professor Oak spoke softly. "It's great to have you back, son."

Watching his grandfather disappear down the hall, Gary turned his attention to Umbreon. Watching him lick his lips, savoring the sweet taste of the homemade Pokemon food, the researcher reached out to scratch Umbreon's soft black ear. "Ready to go, Umbreon?" Watching him quickly jump up and dart towards the hall, Gary was only eager to follow; his curiosity getting the better of him in his tired state to see what kinds of Pokemon his grandpa was now working with.

Slipping back into his sneakers, the two quietly left the house careful not to wake the two upstairs. Walking around the side of the house, Gary's eyes widened at the sight of the research lab. Even in the thick of the night, the teen could make out the faulty patch-work some lackluster carpenter did in the moon lights glow. Going to open the gate, Gary and Umbreon both stopped dead in their tracks when the old gate dropped to the ground. "Uhh…"

After leaning the gate back up against the fence, Gary pressed forwards towards the dented door that seemed stuck, wedged into his door frame. "Oh come on!" Pounding his fist against the frame, Gary was amazed when it swung open. "Come on, Umbreon."

Closing the door behind him, Gary stepped into the small office at the end of the hall to obtain the key to open the food storage locker. Careful to step over the large stacks of papers, Gary turned around to see where Umbreon was only to find him sitting in the door way. He was smart, and didn't dare step foot in the office. Carefully extracting the key, the two made their way towards the large arena area where they were greeted with the sight of utter destruction.

"What is going on here?" Gleaning over the large open room, Gary noted how it looked like rubble; rafters barely hanging from the high ceiling, the ground beneath had been uprooted, holes and char marks littered the walls, and even the windows were taped over. Grandpa has really been lacking in his up-keeping as of late. "No wonder he's hired on Ashy-boy."

Walking past the ever flocking Pokemon, Gary glanced back to see Umbreon playing with an Eevee. Taking a moment to look the sleek looking fur, Gary noted how this one looked exactly like Umbreon did before he evolved. "You make a friend, Umbreon?"

Laughing at his friends loud chirping response, Gary ducked into the side room to get everything into the feeders so he could feed the mass amount of Pokemon residing in the damn-near condemned building. The young researcher had a sinking feeling that he was going to end up staying longer than he initially wanted to. After setting up the outdated feeders, the brunette went to turn them on only to find that they no longer worked. Heavily sighing, he proceeded to pull out the red dishes from under the counter.

After making countless trips out to the arena, making sure each Pokemon got their fill, Gary slumped against the wall feeling his weariness ebb away at his conscious state. Watching Umbreon and Eevee share the bowl of Pokemon food, Gary could feel his eyes begin to get heavy. "Still have the stalls to feed yet…" He spoke to no one in particular. Just as his eyes closed, a loud crash brought him to full alertness.

Pushing away from the wall, Gary looked to all the Pokemon before him to see them with their heads turned towards the stables where the sound emitted from. That's when Gary saw it. His eye's zeroed in on the small Pikachu with the naturally spiked fur chomping down on a berry next to a Mudkip. That's when Gary noticed that Eevee and Umbreon were darting across the arena towards the stables. "Hey, Umbreon! Wait!"

Running to catch up with them, Gary pushed through the double doors to hear the loud uproar of the Pokemon in their stables. Taking in the mess at the end of the hall, Gary was instantly running towards the person in the middle of it all. "Ash!"

Dropping down to the teen's side, Gary roughly shook the boy awake with the help of Umbreon's friend, Eevee. "Ash, hey Ash!" Watching his dark eye's slowly crack open, Gary sighed in relief. "I thought Gramps gave you the night off?"

"Yeah, but—"

"You're bleeding." Gary pointed out as he helped his grandfather's assistant sit up. Taking the younger teen's right hand into his own hands, Gary reached for one of the rags on the ground to quickly wrap off the offending cut across the younger's palm. "Looks like you cut your hand on the pick."

Watching Ash look at the clutter around him, his dark eyes quickly zeroed in on the offending tool. "Sorry, I was just going to try and finish picking out Ponyta's hooves. I guess I just got light headed again."

"Ee!" Crawling into Ash's lap, Eevee jumped up to lick his face.

"I'm fine, girl." He assured the dog-like Pokemon, softly petting the top of her head.

Confused by Ash's quite nature, the researcher proceeded to stand up. Aiding the younger teen to his feet, Gary didn't dare to let go of him as he was shaky on his legs. "Let's have you sit down, Ash." Ushering the trainer over to a small stool, at the end of the hall, Gary slowly sat him down. "Geeze, between you and Gramps, it's no wonder this place is falling apart."

The two shared a small laugh together, before a silence settled between them. "You should have seen this place when I first started here a few months ago." Ask spoke softly, reaching down to pull Eevee into his arms. Cuddling her to his chest, Ash cradled her small body against his chest like he would Pikachu.

"Hey Ash, where's Pikachu at?" As soon as the words escaped his mouth, Gary regretted saying them as the flicker of loss appeared over his friends face.

"Sickness is a terrible thing to have happen to your Pokemon, Gary." Playing with a small tuff of fur on Eevee's back, Ask subconsciously brought the Pokemon in his arms closer to his body.

"I'm sorry to hear that," Gary didn't want to think about what life would be like without Umbreon.

"Professor Oak and Nurse Joy from Viridian City said there wasn't much they could do." The young trainer's voice cracked under his emotional duress.

Biting his lower lip, Gary turned his attention towards the Eevee in the boy's arms. "Well at least you have a new buddy to keep you company."

"Huh?" Looking down at Eevee, the dark haired teen sighed. "Eevee isn't mine. I found her just outside town and brought her here."

"If you ask me, she's taken a fancy to you."

Ash sighed. "Maybe." Reaching down to scratch Umbreon's head, Ash looked back to Gary. "So why are you back? A vacation or were you just passing through?"

"Nope, a vacation; it's been too long since I've been home."

"Sorry you came home to it looking like this." Ash sighed, "hopefully I'll have most of this repaired by next week."

"The way you're moving now, I don't think you'll have anything done soon. Why are you back in town?"

"I have my reasons, and it was really nice of your grandfather to give me this job." Gary wasn't pleased with the quick answer. "The economy in this town is crumbling and a lot of people are leaving. So there's a lot of abandoned Pokemon and abandoned homes around here, so some thugs have taken to this region and have been causing a lot of problems for your grandpa and I."

_So that explains those bruises…_ Inside Gary felt horrible for not being there to help his grandpa, but at the same time he couldn't shake the feeling that this wasn't the whole story. "No wonder this place is a mess."

"It's no big deal; I'll get it fixed up."

Reaching out, Gary gripped Ash's shoulder tightly. "I'll help you, too."

"Thanks Gary, but you really don't have—"

"Nonsense, this is my home too." Standing, the older teen moved to pick up the clutter on the floor before moving towards the feeding bins. "Let me finish feeding these guys, and I'll walk you back to the house so we can get to bed and get an early start tomorrow morning on fixing this place up."

Ash opened his mouth to protest, but decided against it as he winced in pain from the offending bruised around his body's trunk. Relaxing into the stool, the dark haired trainer leaned against one of the locker's before his exhaustion got the better of him and he was out like a light.

POKEMON: Gotta Cath Em All

**Kira:** Okay, so this is my FIRST Pokemon story ever, so please be gentle with any misconceptions I made in here. I was baby sitting the other day and the lil' guy is in love with the original Pokemon episodes, so while we were watching them on YouTube this idea for a story came into my head. I know I made Gary and Ash really friendly with each other, but in this story they are 17 and 18, so hopefully they can be adults (don't worry, there will be some classic Ash and Gary moments though). Let me know what you guys think, and I'm open to any ideas you may have.

Review!

**-Dark Angel Kira-**


	2. Chapter 2

**My Asylum In A Wintery Storm **

Stretching out under the sheets of his bed, Gary couldn't help the pleasurable moan escape his lips. It felt so good to be back in his own bed. As much as he enjoyed travelling, he enjoyed waking up in his own bed even more. Glancing down by his feet, he guessed Umbreon felt the same way. Watching him lightly sleeping with his limbs all sprawled out in every which direction was just a slight indicator. Sitting up, the teen stretched his arms up, enjoying the popping sounds that emitted from his worn out back muscles. In truth, the young researcher knew he should take today easy to give his body a break, but he couldn't. He made a promise after all…

Swinging his legs over the side of the bed, the brunette stripped down to change into a pair of comfy athletic pants and a pair of sneakers. Foregoing a shirt, as he knew he would only sweat in it, he headed downstairs leaving Umbreon to snooze a little longer. Passing the guest room, Gary couldn't help but notice that Ash wasn't in his bed. The two agreed last night that they were going to start around 0800, and by the researchers watch it was only 0715. Shrugging, Gary made his way down the stairs to find his grandpa sitting in the living room with his morning coffee and newspaper.

"Morning, Gramps."

"Good morning, Gary."

"Have you seen Ash this morning?"

The professor peeked over his newspaper to glance at his grandson. "No, but he's probably still sleeping upstairs." Oak called after Gary as he moved into the kitchen to grab himself a cereal bar. Tearing open the wrapper, the teen returned to the living room.

"I just checked, and he's not there." Quickly finished the bar in three bites, the teen brushed his hands off over his athletic pants in an attempt to remove the crumbs.

"Then he's probably out with the Pokemon. He's usually out there every morning around 0500." Bringing his paper back up to eye level, Oak continued. "I keep telling him he can start around 0900, but he doesn't listen." Reaching to the coffee table beside him, Professor Oak brought his coffee mug up to his lips for a long swig. "He's such a hard worker," the professor commented while setting his mug back down upon its coaster. "I just wish he would stop overworking himself."

Gary felt a pointed look through Sam's newspaper, making the teen slightly nervous where he stood.

Deciding to leave his grandpa alone to his reading, Gary moved to the kitchen to get himself a glass of orange juice when he noticed a sleepy Umbreon had made his way downstairs. Kneeling next to his partner, Gary softly removed the sleepies from his Pokemon's eyes before he laid down Umbreon's breakfast dish. As the two finished up in the kitchen, Gary made to brush his teeth before heading out back to find Ash.

"Now where could he be?" Looking around the arena, Gary noted that it looked like a ghost town without all the Pokemon. Even the adjoined stables were empty. Heading out into the pasture, Gary was floored at what he saw.

Through the moon's glow last night, the teen hadn't noticed the full extent of damage done to his grandfathers property, but he could quickly understand why his grandfather has hired Ash on, if things looked this horrendous now the brunette didn't want to think about what this place looked like before Ash got here.

Locking his eyes on the teen in question, Gary quickly sprinted over towards his childhood friend who was cornered against the barn. Most of the lab Pokemon were huddled behind him, cowering in fear of the two burly men who stood in their way. By his foot, a few of the younger Pokemon clung to him where as some of the older ones stayed back but had no problem showing their teeth. Even little Eevee had her ear's pinned back in anger.

"Step aside, brat, and you won't get hurt."

Watching the smaller teen back himself back up against the barn, the larger of the two men were instantly on him, pinning his hands above his head in one of his large bear hands, while the other swung back to leave a devastating blow to the teens side. The cries of the lab Pokemon could be heard a mile away when the trainers limp body slammed against the woodwork. Laughing at the cry that escaped his victim's lips, the man continued his assault until the force of Umbreon's tackle set him flying into a heap upon the ground, directly atop his partner.

"Get off of me!" The two were instantly on their feet.

"Blastoise, Hydro-Pump! Umbreon, Hyper-Beam!" Gary commanded. The two men looked at each other, now soaking wet, before scrambling to their feet and jumping the fence shouting promises to return. Once he was sure the men were gone, Gary sprinted over to Ash who looked like a drowned rat having been caught in the after-blast of Blastoise's Hydro-Pump. "What the hell was that all about?"

"Like I said, things haven't been so simple around here."

"You had a whole arsenal of Pokemon behind you! You should have used them!" Glancing back to the Pokemon huddled against the barn, his anger softened at the sight of their fear.

"Not really, all the Pokemon here are rescues from Team Rocket." Holding his side, Ash leaned into Gary's support. "A lot of them don't trust me and the professor because of what Team Rocket put them through."

"Team Rocket are the thugs you were talking about?" Ash could only meekly nod; his whole body was on fire, limiting his bodily functions. "We should get you inside."

"No, just give me a second." Drawing his hand to his head, Ash opened his eyes slightly only to have them permanently glued to Gary's exposed flesh. Skimming his eyes over Gary's well chiseled body, the younger teen felt his face heat up with embarrassment.

"Well, let's go put some ice on you to reduce some of this swelling." Calling Blastoise back into its Pokeball, Gary turned to help his friend up. "Come on, if I remember correctly there's some cold packs in the store room and some Icee-Hot."

Walking back to the lab, Gary couldn't help but notice Eevee timidly following behind. Every so often she would glance back to check on the other Pokemon who were following them in as well, but the researcher could easily see that her full attention was on Ash. Getting the younger man to sit down in one of the cleaner offices in the lab, Gary turned to grab one of the cold packs. Throwing it against the counter a few times, creating the cooling chemical reaction, Gary set it down for a moment to turn to his friend.

"Take your shirt off, Ash."

"Huh?" Watching Gary rummage through one of the overhead cabinets, Ash felt his face heat up again. "Do I really need to?"

"By the way you're favoring your side, I would say yes." Grabbing a towel and the tube of ice-hot, the brunette researcher turned around to find his darker haired friend struggling to remove his black t-shirt. "Here," kneeling before him, Gary stilled the teen's hands and easily slid the offensive article of clothing over the other boys head with little to no pain afflicted.

"Thanks," Ash spoke softly, a little embarrassed by the help received.

Not really listening to what his partner was say, Gary couldn't help but have his eyes roam over the dark discolorations upon the younger teen's body. Some of the marks were faded green-yellow, whereas most of the others were still in their dark blue and purple discoloration stages. Dropping Ash's wet shirt onto the floor, the researcher went to slowly drying off his skin before applying the cold pack, wrapped in a dry towel, to the area of greatest discomfort.

Adjusting his hands so the younger teen's could easily take over the task of holding the cold compress to his side, Gary turned for a moment to see Umbreon and Eevee sitting in the doorway intently observing the two. Quickly standing, the brunette filled a Dixie cup with some tap water from the sink before snatching a generic bottle of anti-inflammatory medication.

"Take these; it should reduce your pain and the inflammation." Watching the tablets slide down the trainer's throat with ease, Gary lifted the tube of Icee-Hot into his hands. Squirting an ample portion into his palm, the researcher moved away the compress to gently rub in the medicated gel. Smoothing his hands over Ash's battered side the teen couldn't help but glance up every so often to see the visible twist of pain in the teen's face. "Sorry," adverting his gaze back to his duty Gary didn't dare look up again. "Rough hands."

"It's fine…"

Completing his task at hand, Gary sat back on his haunches with a satisfied smile. "Well, it doesn't feel like anything is broken or out of place." Maneuvering the cold pack back over the reddened area, Gary offered a small smile.

"That's good. We should get started on those repairs before Team Rocket returns. I'd give it another two weeks too before the weather starts changing for the worst too."

It dawned on Gary at that moment that the winter months were fast approaching. The warm sunny days would soon be replaced by cold, wintery nights complete with snow and ice. "Yeah, let's get started."

Watching his friend stand, Gary's eyes trained themselves to his side looking for any signs of weakness. Finding none, he reached down to pick up the trainers grey t-shirt off the ground and toss the compress into the trash. Laying Ash's soaked shirt out over a plastic chair, Gary followed Ash into the arena.

"When I got here about four months ago, I had no idea where to start." Ash muttered calmly, watching the lab Pokemon play with each other. "I've just been able to do patch work jobs to keep this building up and functional." Following the younger trainers gesture, Gary's face pulled into a frown. "As you can see, it hasn't been working out so well."

Assuming that the intruding Rockets caused the large hole in the wall this morning, Gary sighed in defeat. "I wish Gramps would have called me sooner—or even just called."

"He didn't want to bother you, Gary."

"Still, if I knew things was this bad at home I would have been here in less than a day."

"Professor Oak knew you would too, that's why he didn't say anything; made me promise not to say anything too."

"Still…" Looking down at Ubreon who was lightly touching his leg, Gary couldn't help but smile. "Well, I'm here now. So, what do you say we start with the arena?"

Ash blinked a few times, probably wondering why the older teen didn't want to start outside with the pasture fencing. It took a few moments for a piece of plaster to fall from the ceiling to crash into the corner across the room. Winter was coming, and currently, this building should be condemned. "Sounds good, it's just there are so many problems with this place I don't know where to start."

"I'd say demolish this whole building—stables, barn and pasture included." Eevee and Umbreon turned their heads quickly at this statement.

"Uh…"

"Might as well," Gary offered. "This place was outdated years ago. Let me call Charlie in town and get him out here for an estimate."

"Gary, Charlie packed up his business months ago and left for Viridian City."

"Well, let's just give him a call."

Following Gary back to the house, the two boys slowly crept past the study, careful not to disturb the professor and his work. Quickly darting up the stairs, Ash followed Gary into his room. Sitting on the older boys neatly made bed; Ash flopped back and stretched out. Winding back the clock a bit, they could both remember a time or two when they were little and they shared that bed during a sleep over. Resting silently upon the covers, Ash remained silent as Gary spoke with Charlie.

"I don't really care about an estimation on the price right now, we really just need this job done." Sighing, Gary leaned back in his chair to stare down the blonde through the tele-screen. "I could think of no better man to get the job done either."

It was settled, Charlie and his crew were to arrive in two days to start renovating the lab. Spinning around in his office chair, Gary smiled at his friend. "How about we get lunch before heading out to start clearing out the lab?"

Sitting up slowly, Ash bobbed his head in a nod. "Okay." Standing, a shiver ran up the younger teen's spine, alerting the older boy across from him.

"Cold?"

"Not really?" Another shiver followed the first. "Maybe…"

Turning towards his dresser near the desk, Gary pulled out one of his old red hoodies. Checking the size, he smiled and threw the raiment to Ash. "That should fit you."

It was a simple red hoodie, nothing special about it other than the last time Gary wore it was when he was probably 10-years old. He wore a small back then, and now he was forced into the large sizes to compensate for his muscle tone and wide shoulders. Feeling a chill come on himself, Gary slipped on his grey hoodie and followed Ash down the stairs.

Ash sat at the dining room table with a glass of water. Once Gary joined him, he produced two plates complete with a sliced apple and a sandwich made of lunch meats and a piece of cheese. "Sorry if it isn't what you like, but it's all that we've got."

"It's fine, thanks." In truth, Ash wasn't expecting to share a lunch with his childhood friend. Biting into the slice of apple, he leaned back into his chair to watch Gary quietly munching on his own. Taking another bite, the young trainer snuggled into the warmth of Gary's old hoodie. He remembered this hoodie too, it was the same one that the young researcher wore to camp the year before the two started out on their Pokemon journey. It was the same summer when Gary started to hate him.

"You okay?"

Brought from his thoughts, the dark haired teen flashed his eyes up to his friends. "Yeah, just thinking is all."

Gary smirked, "that's new for you."

There was that witty banter Ash had become so accustomed to after camp that year. When the two returned home, nothing was the same. At camp, the two never fought. In fact, everything was normal between them—nothing out of the ordinary.

Polishing off his apple, Ash looked to the sandwich that Gary neatly cut in half. Picking it up, he took a small bite. "So where did you want to store everything from the lab?"

"Store everything from the lab?" Startled, both boys looked up to see Professor Oak wander into the kitchen.

"I called Charlie today, Gramps." Gary spoke between his bites. "He said he'd come down from Viridian to renovate the lab."

Choking slightly as he took a sip of water, Samuel Oak turned to his grandson. "Gary, I don't have that kind of money anymore."

"I wasn't expecting you to pay it off, Grandpa. I'll cover it." Swallowing his last bite, Gary leaned back into his seat. "Besides, the University I work with pays really well." Ash knew Gary was well off before, but now he wasn't sure what the sum in the boy's bank statements were anymore.

"Speaking of your research, Gary, what did you end up deciding to specialize in?"

"Ancient Ruins," he answered smoothly.

While Sam seemed extremely proud with his grandson, Ash was slightly put out. Not that he would admit this out loud, but over the years he secretly missed his dear childhood friend. With Gary's area of expertise, Ash quickly realized that after Gary's vacation he would most likely never see his friend again. "Good for you, Gary." The smile on his face never reached the young teens eyes.

POKEMON: Gotta Catch 'Em All

Laying in bed that night, Ash curled onto his side snuggling further into Gary's hoodie that he _accidently _brought home. All afternoon, the two teens worked diligently in clearing out all the offices and saving any piece of equipment that they could. It wasn't much, but it would be things that the Oak's could either sell or reuse in their new facility. Charlie would be there tomorrow afternoon at the earliest, so it was a good thing that they had everything cleared out and ready for the demolishment.

The final thing the two had to accomplish before the night was over was to put all the lab Pokemon back into their Pokeballs. Some had balls of their own from their previous trainers that dropped them off at the lab, but most didn't. Very few went willingly into the balls, refusing to be captured. If Ash was honest with himself, that was the hardest part all day; they were afraid of the dark, just like Pikachu.

Pulling the one Pokemon that refused to be caught closer to his chest, Ash buried his face into her soft, silky fur. Taking one of her small brown paws into his hand, he curled his fingers around it, softly whispering into her ear, "no one will ever hurt you ever again."

"Ee…" Eevee turned her head towards her new trainer, placing a soft kiss to his nose before curling her body back into a comfortable position and falling asleep.

POKEMON: Gotta Catch Em All

**Kira:** Just so you all know, it's freezing here where I live because of the lovely lake effect. Thank you for an overnight 12-INCHES OF SNOW! Haha, yeah, it's a little cold and the snow just keeps falling so I just had to incorporate the winter season into this. Hopefully, I'll have this finished by December 24th as I plan to make it a holiday story. Also, if any of you have noticed, I changed the title because while surfing through some other stories I saw a recent one that had the same title; can't have that. Let me know what ya'll think of the new title, and I'm working on a proper summary for this as well. As usual, leave me a comment on whether you loved it, hated it, or whatever. Reviews make me update faster. Thanks guys!

**-Dark Angel Kira-**


	3. Chapter 3

**My Asylum In A Wintery Storm **

"So we're taking all this down?" Charlie confirmed from his spot high up in a bull-dozer. The blonde looked like a kid in a candy store the way his fingers twitched over the gear shift. Gary would go so far as to say he looked like a cartoon character; his bright red goggles over his eyes with the strap mussing up his hair causing it to stick in all sorts of different directions.

"Yeah, have at it."

"Oh Hells ya!" Bringing his dozer roaring to life, Charlie pointed his finger forward for his assisting Pokemon to follow his lead. Within moments, the front wall of the old lab was gone.

Walking back to the house, Gary flopped back down on his bed in his room. There was nothing for anyone to do today as all the Pokemon were resting in Viridian city with Nurse Joy, and with the lab being worked on, there really was nothing around this place to do anymore; even Ash was told to take the day off! Rolling onto his back, the brunette came face to face with his Umbreon.

Watching his large red eyes blink slowly, Gary reached up to scratch behind his ear. "What do you say to a walk around town today?" Even though he really just wanted to lounge around all day, Gary felt the need for a small walk, just to see if Ash's statements about the small town where he grew up were true.

Suited up in a navy blue fleece over the head sweater, the brunette stepped foot outside again and instantly felt the drastic temperature change. Winter was fast approaching, making the younger Oak hope that their dear friend Charlie and his crew could at least get the shell of the buildings up and functional before the winter season were to hit. The interior would be simple then.

He really had no destination in mind, just wandering around town to see all that had changed. The same signs for the local shops were all the same; just the doorways and windows were now all boarded up with the "closed" signs nailed to them. Even the local ice cream store that he and Ash used to frequent when they were little was all boarded up; the candy shop across the street was the same. The only store that Gary noted that was still open was Al's Super Store, but this place was new and judging by the mark-downs posted in the windows it was really over priced too.

Pulling his fleece tighter around his body, Gary decided to take the short cut through the park. It didn't take long, as one of the back alleys between the ice cream store and the candy shop was still clear of most debris, other than a few pieces of rubble. Coming upon the south end of the old park, Gary instantly noticed the old playground. Standing off to the side, remembering all the times he and Ash used to play tag around the large jungle-gym, he couldn't help but feel remorseful. Landing his eyes on the monkey bars, Gary smiled at the time Ash fell and broke his left arm; just like Gary fell of the nearby tire-swing and broke his right arm a few days later. They had matching casts for 6 months.

"Gary, what are you doing here?" Startled out of his thoughts, the brunette whirled around to see his younger friend standing behind him, the red hoodie still adorning his body.

"Just walking around town," he commented. "Not much to see anymore, huh."

Nodding, Ash took a few steps towards Gary. "There's not much here anymore." The two boys fell into step, just walking around the concrete path around the playground, just like the parents used to do when they were little.

Umbreon and Eevee tore off to play a while ago, their carefree nature overtaking them as they pranced around the woodchips that littered the ground. Watching from afar, the two boys took a seat on the swings, enjoying the others company while watching the two Pokemon play.

"So…" Gary started, breaking the silence between them. "Did you get a chance to look at the lab plans yet?" Slowly swinging back and forth, the elder teen couldn't see his friends face but he saw the slow nod. "What did you think?"

"The extra space in the lab was a nice touch, if your grandpa plans to expand his studies like he's been talking about for all these years, then he'll need it."

"Thanks," Gary smiled at his friend before reaching out to grab at the swing chain, twisting the two swing chains together. The two laughed for a moment, remembering how they used to play this game when they were little.

Twisting their bodies, forcing the two chains to intertwine together, they slowly rose off the ground. Looking up when the chains would no longer twist together, they quickly turned their bodies the opposite way allowing them to quickly unwind. Their world spun for a moment, the chains quickly unraveling, before they were both thrown to the ground landing in a heap of tangled limbs.

Laughing, neither seemed to notice just how closely they were. Staring up at his friend, Ash felt a blush come over his cheeks. The laugher dissipated, unmasking the reality which was before them. They starred at each other for the longest time, unsure exactly what to do.

Quickly scrambling back, Gary helped his friend up before sitting back down on the swings. A smirk settled over his features at the blush that was still on his friends face. "It's been a long while since we've done that." Grabbing his friends' chain, the brunette twisted the swings trapping the boy between his body and the cool metal chains. "You were ten then, weren't you?"

Nodding, Ash glanced up at Gary. Their noses touched ever so slightly that if he wasn't looking, he wouldn't have noticed. Swallowing the lump back in his throat, the younger teen finally spoke. "I may have been nine, Gary."

Their faces were closer; Gary could feel the boys' hot breath on his neck tickling the small hairs. "Same Ball Park," his comment was short before his lips slowly touched his friends. Unsure what was controlling his movements, Gary lost himself in the ecstasy as he pressed his mouth further onto the trainers. Freeing one of his hands, he brought it up to hold Ash's face. Breaking away, filling his lungs with precious oxygen the two could only stare at each other for a moment, not noticing their world spinning about them.

When Gary's hand released one of the chains, it started the spiral of their swings to rapidly spin out of control. Thrown to the ground, the two grunted as their bodies weren't used to such playful manners any more, they could only stare at each other in fear of what just happened. Gary's chest heaved, thankful for the return of oxygen to his lungs, but he also couldn't deny the wanton feeling of wanting to repeat his actions. Starring down at the trainer, he couldn't help himself.

Crashing their lips together fiercely, Gary reveled in the fact that Ash's arms came up to wind around his neck, pulling the researcher closer to him. He felt the younger's heart thunder against his ribs, sending vibrations over his body. It was a glorious feeling, something that Gary wanted to treasure and never forget.

His lips traveled down the trainers neck, pausing every so often to tenderly kiss the teens carotid pulse, making Ash whimper in ecstasy. Returning to the trainers kiss-bruised lips, Gary claimed them once again, savoring the sickly-sweet flavor that was Ash. Breaking away for a small breath, the brunette couldn't help but smile at how adorable the teen was under him. It felt right, perched over the youths body.

"What are we doing?" Ash finally asked through dazed eyes.

Running his long fingers through Ash's cool-damp hair, Gary leaned down for another chaste kiss. "I would have thought you knew what a kiss was."

Ash pointedly looked at his friend, before gently pushing him off. Sitting up, the teen pulled Gary's hoodie tighter around his petite body. Standing, his footing faltered for a second, allowing Gary ample time to stand alongside the trainer and catch him before he fell. "I-I have to go."

"Go?" Gary questioned. Taking in the youths exhausted state of duress, Gary reached up and slowly felt the trainers forehead, only to frown at the intense heat radiating from the trainer. "Ash, you're sick. What are you doing outside?"

Calling Eevee to him, Ash turned out of Gary's warm hold on his body. "I'm sorry."

"Ash, wait!" Watching the trainers retreating back run in the direction of the south end of the park, Gary could only assume that he was running towards his house. "Ash!"

Groaning in frustration, the researcher kicked a nearby stick away from him. Umbreon sat behind him, his eyes downcast as he secretly looked towards the direction where Ash and Eevee ran off to.

P O K E M O N: Gotta Catch 'Em All

**Kira: **Sorry about the delayed update all. I couldn't decide how I wanted this chapter to go, and even now I'm not too thrilled with it, but I know how I want the next few chapters to go though… hopefully they'll be up sooner than this one was. Also, everyone seems to be addicted to the angst and drama this fiction promises. Thanks for all your wonderful reviews everyone, they mean a lot and motivate me to update. As always, read and review!

**-D A R K A N G E L K I R A-**


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